Here’s something that sounds fun! Let’s drag an angry mother bear out of her den! What could possibly go wrong?

Part 1: Before we get to the bears, let’s talk about Maine Maple Sunday, which this year falls on March 23. Tim Littlefield of Lucerne Maple Products tells us about how the event has changed over the years.

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Part 2: Randy Cross of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has handled more than 7,000 bears as part of his research. He has just as many stories. Let’s listen.

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Part 3: Cross explains why the department studies the bear population the way it does. Keeping track of the population helps keep it stable, he says.

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Part 4: We’re in Ashland and we’re going to meet a mama bear. She’s 17 years old, and Cross knows her very well. So does Lisa Bates, another biologist of the Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife. She’s the lucky one who gets to crawl into the den!

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Part 5: Turn up the volume, because I’m going to have to whisper now. There are sleeping bears in this segment! Shhhhh.

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